Review: Birthday In Cable + An Interview With DJ Kyle Hall

My latest 24th birthday was on Friday June 10, and this year, a combination of manic working weeks, fatigue, hay fever, man flu, and an early Saturday morning footy tournament made me want to be a bit of a hermit and rest in for the big weekend (yawn, I know). Shout out to my ever reliable (and insistent) lads – who bought me a ticket to London Bridge based night club, Cable. My orders were simple: dance till I drop.

However, despite my love for the Cable venue and vibe (which with a louder sound system, could live up to the epic Fabric and now legendary The End Club), plus some Vodka + Red Bull beverages, my batteries were just running out. The beats were heavy, the laser lights were buzzing; but by 2am I depressingly felt like 24 going on retirement.

Where was the cure for my poor performance? On rolled 19 year old Detroit guest DJ, Kyle Hall. God is a DJ I believe – as within minutes the room transformed, amped up, I resurrected and it was officially an underground rave till sunrise (7am to be exact). I can’t even define Hall’s sound; it’s quite diverse, with sprinkles of electronic, techno, dance and even jazz – though note, I’m no expert in any of those fields. All I know is it doesn’t matter what your music tastes extend to – I affirm if your body isn’t moving when this guy spins the turntables, you’re either deaf or dead inside. Words just won’t do it justice, so check out the vid, and the words from Hall himself, who I caught up with over Skype to chat music and the DJ game, from Detroit to Montreal, Norway to London:



Q: Where have you just come from?
A: Montreal – I played a gig there at a cool place called Circus After Hours. Nice venue, nice city, nice people.

Q: I saw you two weeks ago in London, you’ve just come in from Montreal. How often do you play abroad?
A: About three times a month. I’ve actually just had to get some extra pages in my passport – took ages to sort it out.

Q: Where’s the most obscure place you’ve played a set? As in which location did you least expect to be doing your thing…?
A: A place called Tromsø in Norway; it’s parallel to the Arctic Circle and I guess I never imagined I’d end up doing a set there. From what I remember it’s got one of the highest suicide rates because they hardly get any sun there. But the people I met were all really friendly.

Q: What’s an average day like in the life of Kyle Hall?
A: I’m not really home that much, so it’s hard to settle down and have a routine if I’m not in the same place for longer than a week. But everything I do is based around music man. I listen to records, buy music, create music, play sets – other than that I do normal things like going out with friends.

Q: I read that your music is “experimental with jazzy bits” – how would you describe your music to a virgin ear?
A: Electronic, techno, experimental, jazzy, soulful… all those adjectives sound good – it doesn’t pigeon anything I do. I’m quite diverse, and besides, sometimes people’s understanding of techno and electronic music can be very blanket; there are simply different interpretations, and in America most don’t understand the difference anyway. I think defining such styles is too long to get into. I think as long as you dig it, you dig it!

Q: What’s the music scene like back home in Detroit? You get any influences from there?
A: There’s not really a scene back in Detroit, no DJ crews or constant buzz like there is in London; which seems to have more of a communal, evolving with music feel.

Q: How did you start out then?
A: My dad bought my first (and second) turntables actually. I just started to do the DJ thing when I was 13-14, chilling, enjoying the music as a young kid, buying records and putting bits and pieces together.

Q: What is playing in your headphones right now?
A: Africa Hitech by Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek – a sick CD.

Q: Any DJs you particularly into currently? Any from the UK… ?
A: FunkinEven and Floating Points are two in particular I’d like to mention. I’ve done great gigs with them in the UK and they’re mates of mine now.

Q: What makes a great gig for you as a DJ?
A: When you’re comfortable, the records can play themselves, and when you don’t have to do too much thinking. It’s not good when you start to rush things, and you’re being too analytical. The music should flow and get across an undeniable connection with the crowd; though that comes with having the foundation as a DJ and understanding of what you like to play and how. Overall it’s a good one when you’re able to be artistic but say what you got to say and make a point somewhere. When those features interlock then you can just do your thing and enjoy yourself.

Q: Do you enjoy it when the crowd responds? Or are you too busy zoned out in the music to notice?
A: I’m really aware of the crowd – it’s important to know your surroundings. It tells you what options you have, and where you can go with the crowd. Every song has different qualities, and if people seem like they’re enjoying it, I know where to take them next. But only if they’re ready.

Q: How did you feel about the Cable show I saw you at? The vibe? Location? Crowd?
A: It’s a really sick location, an amazing cool place to play. It’s still fairly new I believe, and I think their sound system is going to be developed. But it has the potential to be a really great venue. I’d definitely like to play there again.

Q: Where else have you played in London – and what do you think of the music scene?
A: I’ve played at Plastic People (in Shoreditch), Corsica Studios (in Elephant and Castle) and a few other places including Fabric (in Farringdon); though I’ve only played in Room 3 there – I really want to play in the main room one day. In general the music scene in London is so great – the people are always so open and accepting, and so in turn are able to connect with what I do.

Q: What do you think of the city as a whole?
A: I love London – it’s one of my favourite places to play and visit. I’ve tonnes of friends there who I catch up with when I'm down, we have BBQs and do normal shit, I like Soho, the restaurants, record shops, and the IMAX theatre near Waterloo where I was able to drink beer whilst watching Iron Man with my girlfriend... that was awesome (laughs). These are the many reasons why of all the cities in Europe, London is the one I come back to the most.

Q: When can London next expect a set from Kyle Hall?
A: I’ll be back in July and later in the year. All the info is on my Facebook fan page.

This is also published on the Media Trust Community Channel